With the 1994 re-issue of The Real Ambassadors” CD, Dave and Iola called upon a new generation to take up the cause of civil rights for all Americans. But will they?

You bet they will!!!!


Several years ago, a high school jazz choir in Hartford, CT (now called The Real Ambassadors) found the music and fell in love with it. They began to perform selections and word got back to Dave Brubeck. When Dave & Iola heard them, they fell in love with the choir, and hope for this work was re-ignited.

The kids have performed selections from the show in such prestigious venues as the White House in 1997, then with Dave Brubeck and his sons Chris and Dan in 2001.

In April, 2003, The Real Ambassadors jazz choir won the Monterey Jazz Festival competition. As a result they were invited to perform the following September at the world renown Monterey Jazz festival. With Jon Hendricks, from the original 1962 Monterey cast “sitting in”, they knocked the audience cold.

Dave & Iola Brubeck Say:

“In a sea of over polished, over dressed “cookie cutter” swing choirs, “The Real Ambassadors” from the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, stand out as refreshingly “real”, poised to become the next generation of jazz musicians.
The extraordinary integration of voices and instrumentalists, create a beauty of sound that has made them the premier high school vocal ensemble in the country. Working together, they are true ambassadors of good will, displaying the depth of their commitment and character, creating music with soul and a wisdom far surpassing their youth.”